Apple iPhone 7 Plus and jet black iPhones all sold out ahead of release
It isn't yet clear whether the lack of availability is because demand is unusually high or because there just aren't enough phones
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Apple has completely run out of the iPhone 7 Plus and the new jet black handsets.
The new iPhones go on sale this week – starting Friday – but most models won’t be available in stores because they have all sold out online, Apple said.
At the moment, all models and colours of the iPhone 7 Plus have run out, and all versions of the smaller iPhone 7 in jet black are also unavailable, Apple said. It’s possible that supplies of other devices will run out before Apple Stores open on Friday.
If people head to the shops to buy the phones they want, they won’t be able to, Apple said. Instead, they’ll be helped to order one online.
Some had suggested that Apple might struggle to sell as many of the new phones, which were launched at an event in San Francisco last week, because they keep much the same external design as their predecessors and introduce controversial changes like the dropping of the headphone jack. But initial reviews have been strong, and orders seem to be matching that hype.
It had already been suggested in advance of the launch that supplies for some models of the phone would be restricted. The Jet Black version of the phone appears to be harder to make than the others, for instance, and is only available on larger storage capacities.
Apple won’t release numbers for iPhone sales this weekend, unlike all previous years, arguing that the numbers usually reflected how many phones were available rather than how many people wanted them. It has said every year that orders beat those for the year before, though that hasn’t necessarily been a guarantee of demand throughout the rest of the cycle.
But there have been suggestions already that sales have been far bigger than those in previous years. US phone networks Sprit and T-Mobile said this week that they were receiving record orders for the new phones.
“We couldn’t be happier with the initial response to iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and we are looking forward to beginning sales through our retail stores and partners around the world,” Apple’s full statement reads.
“Beginning Friday, limited quantities of iPhone 7 in silver, gold, rose gold, and black will be available for walk-in customers at Apple retail stores. During the online pre-order period, initial quantities of iPhone 7 Plus in all finishes and iPhone 7 in jet black sold out and will not be available for walk-in customers. Availability at partner locations for all finishes may vary and we recommend checking directly with them.
“Customers can continue to order all models in all colours on apple.com. We sincerely appreciate our customers’ patience as we work hard to get the new iPhone into the hands of everyone who wants one as quickly as possible.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments